Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to television receivers, and more particularly, to a television receiver having a personal video recorder and method of storing a broadcast program using the same. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for storing a received broadcast program via a personal video recorder or PVR enabling a time-shift function.
Discussion of the Related Art
A television receiver provided with a personal video recorder includes a storage medium such as a hard disc drive for recording (storing) and reproducing video signals including their associated audio components. The stored signals are digital video signals that are input to the television receiver and may be broadcast signals received from a broadcast station or other signals such as those supplied from a peripheral device connected to the television receiver. In any case, the input signals are encoded for storage in a transport stream format.
For instance, a television broadcast receiver provided with a personal video recorder (PVR) employs a hard disc drive as a storage medium to enable a received broadcast signal or an external input signal from an external player to be stored in and reproduced from the hard disc according to a time-shift function in response to a user selection input. Such a time-shift function enables playback functions of pause, reverse play, fast or slow play, and the like for displaying a real-time broadcast signal or other, similarly received, video stream. Thus, the PVR imparts a television receiver with a time-shift function, which enables storage of a currently viewed broadcast program selected from among multiple available channels and input sources, so that the stored program may be subsequently displayed (reproduced) as a time-shifted program according to a user selection.
The time-shift function may be executed by the user at any time, for example, to immediately or spontaneously replay contents missed while viewing the broadcast program. Since the time-shift function enables the broadcast program received via the currently selected channel to be stored, the storage process can be ended by changing the channel or by simply powering off the television receiver, either of which may be performed by the user intentionally or unintentionally. Therefore, if a user attempts to view a broadcast program of another channel or otherwise executes a channel changing operation, even momentarily, a recording of the currently viewed broadcast program is interrupted. In doing so, whenever a program of another channel is viewed, broadcast programs corresponding to any and all of the switched channels are sequentially stored in the storage medium of the PVR. Consequently, the desired playback of the originally viewed broadcast program may be impossible due to an incomplete recording of missed contents. Moreover, if the television receiver is powered off—particularly in the event of an unintentional action by the user—the time-shift function is ended so that no playback is possible.